Can Boris give plans for transport a boost?

1:16pm Thursday 15th May 2008

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THERE are high hopes the election of a supporter of Bexley Council's Jump on Board campaign to London's top job will boost the chances of its success.

The campaign was launched in February to try to improve public transport in the borough.

Its main aims are to extend the Greenwich Waterfront Transit (GWT) across Bexley to link up with north Kent's Fastrack system, extend the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) into Thamesmead and extend Crossrail to Ebbsfleet.

Bexley also wants to see the introduction of 12-carriage trains on the rail network and the expansion of the Oyster card to make it acceptable for travel on all trains in the capital.

The council claims Bexley has been excluded from many of the public transport improvements which are being introduced in other surrounding boroughs, such as the GWT and Fastrack, which end at the borough boundaries.

But Bexley councillor Peter Craske, cabinet member for transport, says he is optimistic the situation will change now Tory Mayor of London Boris Johnson is in place.

He was the only one of the three major mayoral candidates to pledge support for the campaign.

Councillor Craske said: "We want to have a meeting with the Mayor and Transport for London as soon as possible, to see how we can work together to deliver what Bexley wants to see.

"We are expecting lots of changes to the way things are done."

Cllr Craske added: "I think we have got a strong case."

The most obvious first target is the extension of the GWT into Bexley, where part of the potential Bexley route has already been safeguarded.

Cllr Craske said: "The building blocks for extending the GWT are already there.

"It is definitely something we can now work on and try to deliver."

He added: "And there is no reason why the DLR should stop at Woolwich or why it cannot be extended to Thamesmead and north Bexley."

The Crossrail scheme is more problematic and longer term, but Bexley made its case to the House of Lords two weeks ago.

Cllr Craske said: "Together with the new mayor and the former one, we want to get people out of their cars and onto public transport, but we have to have the alternatives in place to do that.

"We do not want to just moan about it.

"There are things we can do and I think the doors are opening."